September 09, 2023
Author: Paalki Sethi
Editor: Dr. Jitendra Kumar Sinha
In this era of technological advancement, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have transitioned from video game consoles to vital components in the field of healthcare. These immersive technologies have found applications in medical education, surgical simulation, neurological rehabilitation, psychotherapy, and telemedicine, profoundly impacting patient care and healthcare practices.
AR augments the real world, while VR immerses users in a digital environment. Together, they reconfigure patient care. VR constructs virtual organs and tissues, aiding physicians in diagnostics, patient communication, and surgical planning. These simulations are cost-effective and risk-free, revolutionizing medical training. However, prolonged VR use must be balanced to prevent discomfort. AR blends the virtual with reality, offering real-time interactions and a 3D spatial perspective. Beyond fun and games, AR holds promise in healthcare, aiding in mental health treatments, pain management, and distinguishing between reality and hallucination. VR helps in treating mental health issues by simulating meditation and behavioral therapies. It alleviates pain through positive thinking and breathing techniques. For those grappling with hallucinations, VR reconnects them to reality.
VR empowers patients facing brain surgery by taking them on a virtual journey through their own brains. It provides 3D brain models based on medical scans, helping patients understand their conditions and surgeries, alleviating anxiety. In healthcare, AR’s precision shines, enhancing diagnostics and medical procedures. It projects vasculature onto the skin’s surface, aiding medical professionals in locating veins accurately, improving needle insertions. The applications of AR and VR in healthcare continue to expand, addressing increasingly complex challenges. Their benefits are evident to both medical practitioners and patients. Analysts predict a rapid growth trajectory for AR and VR in the healthcare sector.
While AR and VR offer vast opportunities, they also present methodological challenges. Ensuring patient safety and data privacy is paramount. Striking a balance between immersion and discomfort in VR experiences remains a challenge. AR demands real-time data processing and accurate overlay, requiring robust computational infrastructure. Ethical considerations, such as the potential for addiction to immersive technologies or the psychological impact of extended use, require ongoing study and regulation.
Considering prenatal and early life exposures to environmental pollutants, a critical aspect emerges. Research into the impact of such exposures on neurological development and neurodiversity is gaining traction. AR and VR can play pivotal roles in visualizing these complex relationships. For instance, VR simulations can model the potential effects of prenatal pollutant exposure on brain development, aiding researchers in understanding the long-term consequences and informing public health policies. Therefore, it is easily understood that AR and VR are more than entertainment or gaming tools; they are catalysts for transformation in healthcare. Their applications extend across medical training, surgery, rehabilitation, psychotherapy, and telemedicine. As the healthcare sector continues to embrace these technologies, overcoming methodological challenges becomes essential. Moreover, exploring the nexus between environmental factors, neurodiversity, and early life exposures through AR and VR holds immense promise for advancing our understanding of neurological development.
Reference:
- Virtual Reality (VR) in Healthcare Market to Reach $2.4 Billion by 2026: AMR. (Accessed 11 April 2023). www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/05/11/2031228/0/en/Virtual-Reality-VR-in-Healthcare-Market-to-Reach-2-4-Billion-by-2026-AMR.html
- VR headsets relaxing patients during surgery at St George’s. (Accessed 11 April 2023). www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/newsitem/vr-headsets-relaxing-patients-during-surgery-at-st-georges/
- Puzhevich V. What does the future hold for AR and VR in healthcare? (Accessed 11 April 2023). www.scand.com/company/blog/what-does-the-future-hold-for-ar-and-vr-in-healthcare/
- Augmented and virtual reality in medicine and healthcare. (Accessed 11 April 2023). www.theappsolutions.com/blog/development/ar-vr-in-healthcare/
- Augmented reality in healthcare: 9 examples. (Accessed 11 April 2023).
www.medicalfuturist.com/augmented-reality-in-healthcare-will-be-revolutionary/ - Detecting Faces, Saving Lives How facial recognition software is changing health care. (Accessed 11 April 2023). www.embs.org/pulse/articles/detecting-faces-saving-lives/
- Hsieh, Min-Chai, and Jia-Jin Lee. “Preliminary study of VR and AR applications in medical and healthcare education.” J Nurs Health Stud 3.1 (2018): 1.
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